eHarmony sued for gay rights

Online dating service eHarmony has been sued for refusing to offer its services to gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

The lawsuit claims that the site is discriminating based on sexual orientation. It was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Linda Carlson, who was denied access to eHarmony because she is gay. Harmony is one of the few sites that does not offer a "men seeking men" or "women seeking women" option.

This might have something to do with its founder Neil Clark Warren was an evangelical Christian with strong early ties with the influential religious conservative group Focus on the Family. It has more than 12 million registered users, and heavy television advertising has made it one of the nation's biggest Internet dating sites.

A spokesperson for the company said that its match engines are based on data for heterosexual couples.